Can a Texas Democrat Win a GOP Drawn District? John Lira Thinks So

District 35 candidate John Lira talks with ImpactoAZ about his chances of winning in one of the five GOP gerrymandered districts.

John Lira, Democratic candidate for Texas Congressional District 35

The irony of possibly winning a Texas congressional seat redrawn to give Republicans a distinct advantage at the ballot box is not lost on John Lira.

The Democratic candidate for District 35 says it would be a sweet outcome, given the chaos and confusion the political gerrymandering maneuver has caused.

A strong critic of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling to allow the new districts to be used in the 2026 midterm elections, he acknowledges it opened the door for him to run in District 35, which encompasses the part of San Antonio where he grew up.

But it will take strong voter discontent with the Republicans to make that happen. He cited the recent political headwinds against Trump-backed candidates may be the impetus to make that happen. Most of the five new districts were drawn based on the assumption that Texas Latinos will continue to support Trump at the levels they did during Presidential election cycle.

"They're trying to not only avoid accountability, but give an edge that was not there," he said of the redistricting. "Texans are smart and they know when the goalpost has been moved during the middle of the game on them."

In the podcast, Lira also shares his observations on how Texas Latinos are faring in quality of life issues. Texas has the 2nd largest Latino population in the country.

Not surprisingly, affordability is driving the talking points as the 2026 mid-term election cycle looms.

He also shares more about his experiences serving in the same Marine battalion as Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallegos during the Iraq war and how Sen. Gallegos' statewide Senate win provides clues to winning races in a red state.

See full podcast here.